


contagious

by Valkirin



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Accidental Brother Acquisition, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Canonical Child Abuse, Cuddle Pollen, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jason Todd Gets A Hug, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Robin, Tim Drake Gets a Hug, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, very brief reference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valkirin/pseuds/Valkirin
Summary: In a happier Gotham where Robin insisted on bringing his new brother Jason home from patrol, the second Robin is dosed with Poison Ivy's cuddle pollen and finds their personal photographer.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 94
Kudos: 598





	1. Rooftop

**Author's Note:**

  * For [envysparkler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/envysparkler/gifts).
  * Inspired by [infectious](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29225874) by [envysparkler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/envysparkler/pseuds/envysparkler). 



> This is a sequel to [envysparkler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/envysparkler/pseuds/envysparkler)'s wonderful [infectious](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29225874).
> 
> The inference to potential sexual assault is very brief but Poison Ivy falls under Gotham-standard trigger warnings. No sexual assault happens. Tim is an occasionally unreliable narrator and the victim of canonical severe childhood neglect. 
> 
> Canon is whatever comic, animated show, and animated movie works together when I am trying to make a coherent narrative.

Tim had been in position for ninety-two minutes before he gave up and clambered down from the half-hollowed gargoyle. If he'd been right about Batman and Robin's patrol route, they would have passed by already. If it had been an easy night, they would have swung through fifteen minutes after Tim had tucked himself into the middle of the broken gargoyle, and he would have had two chances to take pictures through the broken stone. If they had already been through a few fights but were keeping to the patrol route Tim was predicting, it would have happened at least ten minutes ago. If there had been an escape from Arkham that wasn't feeding into the police scanner in his earbud, Batman and Robin might have already been in pursuit of one of the big-name Rogues. If they'd had a bad fight or had to break off, they wouldn't go back to this patrol route for a couple days. 

It was a shame, really, because he really liked that gargoyle. It felt almost like a hug to feel the rough edges of stone press against him. He was eyeing the vents on the next roof over, lately, because if he had another growth spurt he probably wouldn't be able to crawl into the gargoyle anymore. If he had enough of a growth spurt, he wouldn't be able to fold himself down into the spaces between the vents and the broken pieces of architecture that had always held him close. 

As much as Tim loved his poor simulations of the way that Batman and both Robins flew, this part of town was too dangerous for hopping between rooftops under his own power. The spaces were too far for him to jump easily and too many people looked up when they heard a sound. He checked the perimeter of the building carefully before hopping onto the fire escape he used on dry nights and crept down the rusty stairs quietly enough to not disturb anyone that might still be living in the dilapidated building. He was dangling from the bottom of the fire escape, bicycle-gloved hands still grabbing the rusted metal, when he heard the loud scuff of footsteps made by people who didn't creep through alleys. 

Nightwing could have flipped back up onto the fire escape. Robin could have pulled himself up in a single smooth motion. Batman would never have been caught dangling from a fire escape in the first place. 

Tim hauled himself up and had to grab at the metal grating further from the edge to get his knee high enough to clamber up. He darted up the fire escape stairs and glanced over the edge of the roof. He saw the shadows of the group coming near the corner just before he flattened himself against the roof where none of them could see him. 

Tim was going to stay at his house and work on his chin-ups tomorrow. He had already guessed that Penguin had been responsible for the firearms heist from the evidence room at a Crime Alley precinct. Any job that big with firearms in this area would be Black Mask or Penguin, but Black Mask was still in a territory dispute with Falcone, so he wouldn't have the manpower to pull off that kind of raid without Falcone taking immediate action. The men down in the alley didn't know if they were working for Penguin. They were bragging how much money they'd been offered to move cargo fast. None were being paid extra to bring their own firearm but it would still be useless for Tim to try getting a few photos. There was nowhere to hide out by the docks and the men working would be twitchy when they weren't sure if there would be a Rogue to distract Batman and Robin. 

Tim let himself relax a little when the sounds faded. He crawled closer to the edge to look down into the alley and nearly fell onto the fire escape when he saw a shadow move from the hollow behind the dumpster. Tim had hid there himself a few times, when he wasn't up on the roof, and there was a surprising amount of room. 

He stared as the person moved out of the black shadows and into the faded glow of the streetlights. That was Robin. Robin had been hiding behind a dumpster, which was unusual enough, but now he was not moving normally. Usually, Jason moved through the streets with complete confidence, especially in this part of town. Now, he stumbled away from the dumpster and wrapped his arms around himself. 

He hadn't heard that Poison Ivy was out of Arkham but sometimes her pollen could leave people disoriented. He didn't think that Jason would look so calm if it was fear gas and didn't see any sign of a trick from Mad Hatter.

“Robin?” Tim asked hesitantly as he pulled himself up into a crouch. His voice hadn't been very loud but Robin spun and looked straight at him. Tim gulped and leaned a little farther off the roof. “Are you okay?” 

Robin leapt up and grabbed the edge of the fire escape platform. He pulled himself up through brute strength and without any finesse and nearly stumbled as he clomped up the stairs. Once on the roof, though, he wavered and looked down at Tim. Robin was swaying on his feet and his shoulders were tense. His face was stoic and the white lenses in his mask gave nothing away.

Tim would like to pretend that he was nervous. He knew a few years of judo wouldn't let him have a chance against Robin. He also knew that the rumors about Ivy were right. Cuddle pollen was not the only thing that she could do and he had ran away from the scene of pollen-driven crimes before while calling 911 on a pay-by-minutes cell phone. He also knew he would take whatever attention he had somehow lucked into and if it hurt he'd just cry about it later. Robin needed him for something and Tim would never say no. 

“It's okay,” Tim said. He set his backpack aside and stood up. He had his back straight and he was trying to look confident but his parents would never let him out in public with the strangled smile on his face. Robin was clearly miserable but this was the best day of Tim's life. When they were both standing, Tim could see the pale yellow pollen with a faint iridescent shine of green in Jason's hair and smeared along his jaw and the side of his neck. Even if Ivy had changed up her recent pollens... Jason couldn't hurt Tim if Tim wouldn't disagree. 

The worst part of the plan was trying to copy how someone held their arms out for a hug based on being awful and creepy and watching Dick constantly lure Jason into hugs. Dick always made it look so natural and fun to hold out your arms and hope for contact. Even Batman looked half resigned and half expectantly pleased when he braced himself for a hug. Jason didn't usually start the hug but he didn't usually get his arms extended before someone was hugging him. Tim felt like he was trying to convey something in semaphore. 

It still worked. Robin plowed into him and wrapped his arms around Tim. Tim returned the gesture carefully, wrapping each arm around Robin's torso, and knew that this was going to be short. Batman would never leave Robin alone for long even without Poison Ivy on the scene. Batman hadn't let Robin patrol on his own in weeks, not since that awful fight that ended with Batman and Robin screaming at each other on the bank of the river. 

(Tim had packed away his camera and ran. He might be a rude voyeur that desperately wanted to be anywhere near their orbit but he had enough manners to not stay for a conversation that turned from shouting to crying. It had been better the next day. Robin patrolled with Nightwing, not Batman, and their talks were quieter and led to fun competitions by the end of the night where Robin fought the losing battle of trying to be fancier in parkour than Nightwing. Nobody could outdo Dick Grayson in acrobatics.)

(Nightwing and Robin had been missing for two weeks after that. Tim had watched Batman mope around Gotham being curt to the police and and giving mugging victims more time to cling to him. Suddenly, the Joker was in custody in an Ethiopian prison and there was a fight between Ethiopia, the Justice League, and Gotham for just who got to keep the clown. There was also a note that Sheila Haywood had been the Joker's accomplice. No one was fighting to move her out of the country.) 

Robin hadn't patrolled on his own since he got back. Tim knew that. He wasn't surprised when Jason's communicator kept vibrating or when Jason ignored that in favor of clinging to Tim like Tim would ever be worth his time without cuddle pollen around. 

If Tim didn't answer the communicator, he might buy himself a few more minutes of a hug where the other person wanted him to be there. If he let this go on any extra time because he was pathetically desperate for someone to care about him, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Batman and Nightwing were probably out of their minds with worry and didn't know that Robin was safe. Tim kept one arm wrapped around Jason and reached carefully for the communicator clipped on his belt with the other. 

The palm-sized device had a black bat emblem embossed into the back and made out of tough plastic. Tim had seen it in use often enough to know to press two of the identical raised buttons at the same time before touching another. 

“Come in, Robin,” Batman said sternly just a moment later. 

“I'm with Robin,” Tim said. He was talking to Batman but he felt stupider and younger than ever. He shouldn't have waited at all. “We're on the roof of the apartment corner at the northwest corner of 5th Avenue and Maple Street. I think he ran into Poison Ivy. He has pollen on his face, he's not talking, and just wants to hug me.” 

“Nightwing and Batman en route to your location. Is he lucid?” 

“I don't think so, sir.” Tim's legs felt shaky. He knew what Robin usually called him. They hadn't come face-to-face that many times but Jason would usually laugh and cheerfully call him a bat-stalker. He'd helped Tim off a couple unstable places, before, just offering a hand long enough to help Tim get down off of a rooftop that he should not have tried out. He never asked for Tim's name or asked to see a picture. He didn't tell him to stop taking pictures, either, but Robin had never touched him without gloves or any longer than needed. 

“Understood. One of us will be there soon,” Batman said. “Please report immediately if you have any concerns.”

That made sense. Batman couldn't be sure that Tim wasn't a risk to Robin so he would not want to give an exact arrival time. Tim bet that he already knew, down to the second, and that he and Nightwing would work together to make sure they took in the whole scene before they approached. There wouldn't be much to see. Tim was a scrawny thirteen-year-old in a zip-up hoodie with jeans that were an inch too short and sneakers with barely enough rubber in the soles to keep his feet dry. He had a backpack held together with duct tape hiding the case for a camera and lenses that cost more than some cars. He was also partially covered with Batman's son and Nightwing's little brother.

Tim didn't hold back on hugging Robin. He did make sure that he did not lean into the visible pollen even though it was tempting to reach for the excuse to need help himself. Tim was always too needy, that was always his problem, and if he couldn't control himself his parents would send him off to boarding school after all. They wanted him to be self-sufficient and independent and not an obnoxious child. He would never be allowed to go along on a trip with them if he couldn't handle himself without whining for things that he didn't need. 

Asking Mrs. Mac for a hug had been stupid. It didn't matter that it was his birthday. It didn't matter that his parents had pushed back their homecoming for another couple months and not even mentioned that he had turned thirteen. Mrs. Mac thought that she only dropped in during the day while his parents were at work because his mother appreciated her cooking and liked having the house clean and tidy. Mrs. Mac thought it was a little ridiculous that a thirteen year old child would try acting like he needed her attention when he was quite old enough to wait for his parents to come home. She had been brusque but not cruel when she had explained politely that she was his housekeeper, not his auntie, and she had a job that his parents paid her to perform. 

Tim didn't realize that he was crying into the shoulder not covered with pollen until someone cleared their throat behind him. 

Tim was his own worst enemy. He was finally meeting Dick Grayson face-to-mask and he was sobbing onto Dick's brother like a complete loser. 

“Hi,” Tim squeaked. “Sorry. I was having a bad day.” 

Nightwing's stoic expression melted into something much warmer. “I'm glad that Robin found someone that needed a hug, kid,” he said with all of the kindness Mrs. Mac had kept out of her voice. “Did you get any pollen on you?” 

“I don't think so.” Tim slowly detached his arms. He could pretend it was because Jason was grabbing on more tightly as Tim tried to let go but he knew just what Jason would say afterward. He could imagine it, anyway, and few enough people talked with him about why they were upset that he had to guess most of it for himself. “I think most if it is on his right side.” 

Nightwing stepped closer and looked Robin over thoroughly. He laughed when Jason held out one arm but refused to let go of Tim with the other. “I think you're right but not all of it is visible. He probably tagged you with a bit of it when he was grabbing on even though you were doing a great job keeping away from the worst of it.” Nightwing snagged Robin's gloved hand and peered closely at the fabric. “I can see a trace, here, so you definitely should consider yourself pollened. Does somebody know that you're out at night, kiddo? Someone that you can trust to hug you without asking too many questions.” 

That was the last straw. Tim had already been crying (like an _infant_ , teenagers didn't cry) and that question was everything that had left him hiding in his gargoyle when he knew perfectly well that he wouldn't be taking any pictures that night. “No,” Tim said. He didn't try to pull himself loose when Robin wrapped around him even harder. Tim tried to blink away tears but it was too much. “My parents won't be home tonight and they'd be so mad that I was out here.” 

His parents weren't going to change. Tim was not going to change their minds and he screwed up every single time they came home. They hadn't even mentioned bringing him along on a trip in two years. Not after he'd completely embarrassed them at a party by realizing that Bruce Wayne's newly adopted son was at the party, and that the glimpses of the new Robin he'd caught had to be real, and that there was a reason that Nightwing was so familiar. The first Robin had passed on the colors and the second Robin was standing there with Bruce, slowly relaxing his tense shoulders as Bruce talked to him. Tim had stared at the Waynes and completely missed his parents introducing him to someone he was supposed to charm.

His parents were right. He shouldn't concern himself with any other families. He should try to be a good son, first, and then maybe someday he could be more. They hadn't mentioned having other children since he was six and they realized just how long he was going to demand their attention. 

Nightwing touched the back of Tim's wrist cautiously. “Okay. Robin's already wrapped all around you so we can look after you until this wears off, if that's okay.” 

Tim blinked up at him and something in him relaxed. It was okay to ask. It was just because he'd been contaminated with pollen. It wasn't because he was desperate to not have this be the last second that someone needed him to help. It was because he had been in the right place at the right time able to do the right thing for once in his stupid life. 

“I trust you,” Tim said. He was already contaminated with pollen so he let Robin nudge him into laying his head on Robin's shoulder. A little more pollen wouldn't hurt him, not now, and nobody could resist needing to be touched with the pollen. Even Batman wanted to be cuddled when the pollen hit.

Nightwing melted. The aggressive perceptiveness faded into a big brother that took care of kids in passing at society parties, even painfully awkward ones that couldn't reach the punch bowl. Other kids could clamor for Dick's attention and laugh at his jokes. Tim was supposed to be suitably dignified and stay away from the rowdy children in favor of the quiet ones who would also sit not saying anything childish. 

“Just wait a minute, kid,” Nightwing said. “I don't want to try hauling both of you down to street level on my own. Batman waited back long enough to be sure that we were fine here and he's making sure the coast is clear. We'll get you in the Batmobile then get you home later, okay? It shouldn't take more than a few hours for the pollen to wear off.” 

“My parents are gone for the night,” Tim said. Robin was rubbing his back, now, and Tim could die happy. He had helped. Nightwing and Batman would have found Robin, of course, but it was better to be sure that no one else would have found him first. “I can get back before lunchtime and they'll never notice.” 

That didn't make Nightwing look any happier. “Just – look after yourself, kid. This isn't a safe place to be at night.” 

Tim couldn't argue, not when Robin was plastered all over him with none of his usual jokes. Batman's arrival spared Tim from thinking of the right thing to say. 

Batman's grappling hook appeared first, then Batman himself as he used the momentum to swing himself up onto the roof. When he held out his arms toward Jason, his son resisted and clung to Tim even more tightly. Tim quietly labeled that renewed pressure the new best moment of his life. Nightwing stepped in and rubbed the back of Jason's neck. 

“It's okay, Robin,” Nightwing coaxed. “You know that you're shaping up to be a heavyweight like Batman. He could scoop you both up but it wouldn't be safe for you or your friend. You can have your favorite back in the car, okay?” 

Robin tilted his head thoughtfully before he made a thoughtful hm. When Nightwing reached out for Tim, Robin flashed a smile and pushed Tim toward his brother before Robin himself leapt at Batman. Batman caught him easily and wrapped his arms around Jason. Jason looked just as small in Bruce's arms as Tim had to have looked in Jason's. Tim couldn't regret losing Robin's embrace, though, not when he was getting a full Nightwing hug and something in him just kept relaxing. 

Nightwing smiled. “If Ivy could bottle this...” He shifted Tim to clasp onto his side. “Maybe I'll tell her that I'll plant a tree every time she uses this more responsibly. Hold onto me, kid, I'll get us down. Think you're up for a flip?” 

Tim hummed and cuddled closer. He was supposed to cuddle, it was cuddle pollen. It also gave him a memory of a younger Dick promising a smaller Tim that he'd do his quadruple somersault, just for him. “I like flips,” he said. “Not good at gymnastics, though. I like judo.” 

Nightwing chuckled. “I'm good at gymnastics. All you need to do is hold on tight.” 

Tim was happy to obey. He clung onto Dick's side and didn't object when Nightwing hiked him up higher, like Tim really was an oversized toddler to cling to someone's hip. Nightwing took a few tentative steps while supporting Tim's weight before bouncing lightly. “Yeah, this'll work. Ready?” 

Tim might have never been more ready in his life. Nightwing shot his grapple to a taller building across the intersection and pulled them up into a smooth arc, adding a flip that ended with Nightwing touching down smoothly just feet away from the Batmobile. Tim thought that cuddling closer with starry eyes was the only reasonable thing to do with cuddle pollen in his system and Nightwing hugged him closer, so that had to be right. 

Batman swooped down with Jason cradled in his arms like a baby and Tim's backpack hanging from his wrist. Jason didn't notice just how undignified it was but he had a bigger dose of cuddle pollen than Tim did. That was only fair. It wasn't fair that Jason immediately reached out for Tim with hands that clenched demandingly or that Batman and Nightwing only looked fond. 

“In a moment,” Batman promised softly. He carried Jason around the Batmobile and bundled him into the car. Nightwing picked Tim up into his arms and folded both of them into the backseat. Nightwing didn't fight when Robin stole Tim out of his arms to snuggle him closer. Nightwing pulled his door shut and grinned at Batman. 

“I'm pretty sure that Robin's made his call, B.” 

Batman grunted from the driver's seat. “He will appreciate the added difficulty, I'm sure.” He pulled a blindfold out of a compartment underneath the wheel. 

Nightwing plucked the folded cloth out of Batman's hand. Tim was loopy from the cuddle pollen and more hugging than he had had in his entire life. If they blindfolded him, they might take him to the Batcave. Tim didn't have the words for how okay he was with that. He did look at Batman's thoughtful expression and Jason's faint smile and Nightwing's concerned face before nodding. It made sense that they couldn't show him how the Batmobile snuck into Bristol, however sure Tim was that their base of operations was connected to their house. The blindfold didn't bother him when Jason was keeping him close and Dick wrapped an arm around him afterward. It was hard to keep his eyes open and see only darkness, though, in the silence of the car and the quiet murmurs from Nightwing and Batman that were starting to make less sense. Tim let himself drift off to sleep and told himself that it would be fine if he woke up in his bed in the morning. Batman could figure that out, if he wanted to, and Tim wouldn't need the touch by morning. He did now, though, so he could sleep surrounded by his favorite people.


	2. Batcave

Tim woke up in heaven. 

His head was pillowed on someone's shoulder, someone strong who had curved their whole body around him, and someone else was bracketed behind him leaving him in the center of a three-person hug. He could feel a heartbeat beneath his ear and someone was rubbing his back. 

Part of him kept trying to analyze why this was impossible or never going to happen. For once in his life, he firmly told that calculating voice to shut up. Tim rolled closer into the hug and could have cried from sheer happiness when the person behind him also budged closer. He didn't care that this was impossible. He didn't care that he didn't know who the people were or where he was. 

That only lasted until he felt someone looking at him. Tim tried to relax but couldn't ignore reality anymore. The person rubbing his back had broke the pattern and the person underneath him shifted.

Tim hesitantly opened his eyes only to see Dick Grayson smiling at him. 

Tim's head was on Dick Grayson's shoulder. He definitely needed to go home before he embarrassed himself by saying something stupid. He needed to not say anything because Dick still had a domino mask on, even if he wasn't wearing his Nightwing suit. He was wearing a pair of faded navy blue sweatpants and a thin black t-shirt with a badly-rendered Batman logo printed on the front. Tim turned his head and saw Jason at his back, similarly in a domino mask, with bright blue Wonder Woman pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt. 

Tim looked up to see Batman, in both costume and cowl, looking down forbiddingly at him. Tim was looking up, though, and he was in the Batcave. He had to look around before Batman sent him home.

He was lying on an oddly wide bed in a clean, bright area of the cave that looked like a high-tech doctor's office. He had been cuddling between Nightwing and Robin all night and had barely remembered an apologetic Nightwing putting a blindfold on him before Tim had fallen asleep in the Batmobile. He hadn't even tried to get a closer look at the dashboard. 

Tim made himself sit up. He was fine now, he knew that. The strange empty feeling was gone and he just had the faded echo that had made him wonder if he could get his housekeeper to hug him. He only felt cold because he was sitting in the Batcave in his t-shirt and threadbare jeans. Tim's shoes, hoodie, and backpack were set on a small table off to the side of the tiled area. He would probably feel warmer once he had his things back.

“Good morning,” Nightwing said cheerfully. He had jumped up off of the bed already and moved so that Tim wouldn't crane his neck to look at him. “It's just past eight in the morning. None of us had the heart to wake you up to get you into a decontamination shower. I did take a blood sample, and I am sorry for the invasion of privacy there, but we only ran it to check exposure level to the pollen and for a few genetic quirks that can make it more dangerous.” 

Tim blinked at the Batman bandage in the crook of his elbow. “I'm sorry,” he said. He felt cold without Nightwing and Robin close to him but he couldn't take his hoodie back if he needed to rinse off. If he had to rinse off. No one was home and he knew how to get straight to the shower. 

Batman was standing past the tiled area and didn't look angry. “There's nothing to apologize for. Thank you for staying with Robin until we could get there.” 

Jason was still lying on the bed. He yawned and stretched before slowly sitting up. “It just figures the first time I go off on my own in weeks I run straight into Ivy,” he said. He smiled at Tim for a moment before his gaze sharpened. 

Tim flinched. He knew what was coming next and didn't want to hear it. Jason was right, Tim _was_ a bat-stalker, and here he was in the Batcave making a pest of himself. He probably could have just ditched the hoodie last night and let them take it back to the cave if he'd been more careful. “It's okay,” he mumbled. Mumbling was not the kind of thing a reasonable teenager did but he was feeling far from reasonable. He felt like a little kid sitting in the middle of a candy store not allowed to touch anything. 

For once, Jason didn't blurt out whatever he'd wanted to say. He sat back instead. “We should probably wash your stuff for you. We have soap that helps get the last traces of pollen off to make sure that you don't have a relapse later. You can borrow some sweats, if you want. Nightwing's old stuff would probably fit you.” 

Tim would rather just run but he definitely could not afford to get cuddle pollen at home. Mrs. Mac would definitely complain to his parents if he tackled her and it wasn't like he could go ask at school. His school had a strict policy on public displays of affection and acceptable behavior. Hugging definitely crossed the line. He stood up and followed Robin to the large bathroom while Nightwing rifled through a cabinet full of clothes. 

The black sweatpants and red shirt looked fine. He did not ask about the socks and boxers because he was not terrible. He nodded in the right places when Nightwing asked if they could wash his backpack, too, and when Robin explained how long to lather the soap. Tim was standing alone in the bathroom in the Batcave what felt like moments later and Jason hadn't called him a bat-stalker yet. They all knew it was true but something in Tim could relax enough to enjoy the hot water and the bright blue soap knowing he had a couple more minutes of being a guest. He'd been over the rules for being a guest so many times he probably did recite them in his sleep. His parents just didn't give him many chances to ever be an overnight guest. 

The towel had a Batman insignia sewn on in uneven stitches that definitely didn't look like Mr. Pennyworth's work. There were old loose threads like someone had cut the emblem away a time or two before it was replaced. Tim's hair was sticking up in all directions but he tried to smooth it down with the towel instead of asking for a comb. The borrowed clothes did fit, probably meaning they had fit Dick when he was ten, and he didn't have any more excuses. They could drop off his clothes later, if they wanted, but it wouldn't be hard for him to head back to the thrift store and pick up a few new things. He'd just bring his camera case with him and be grateful he hadn't been taken any photographs of the Bats the night before. He had a couple moody shots of the skyline and several showing the moon rising over a highrise but nothing else. 

None of them made it obvious they'd been waiting for Tim. Dick and Jason were sparring, neither looking like they cared much about who was winning, and Batman was sitting in front of a large array of monitors. The sparring match broke up first. Dick clapped Jason on the shoulder and smiled at Tim. “I'll just get your laundry for the decontamination, don't mind me.” He and Jason had both changed already and Tim could see their previous clothes in the open drum of a front-loading washing machine. Dick pulled on purple disposable gloves and then tossed Tim's shoes and hoodie and clothes and towel into the washer before giving the backpack a doubtful look. 

Tim didn't know what Jason was thinking. He tried to focus on Nightwing instead. “I can just get a new backpack. I don't know if that one can hold up to a wash cycle.” 

“Well, if it isn't a hardship,” Dick said after giving the backpack a final look. “May I?” 

Tim nodded. It wasn't like Jason had forgotten just why Tim wandered around the most dangerous parts of Gotham at the most dangerous time of day. Tim pretended it was normal when Dick changed gloves and pulled out two sealed bottles of water, the camera case, a box of granola bars, his burner cell phone, and a gas mask. Dick bundled all of those things right into a plain black canvas tote without comment. 

Jason whistled. “Guess you're more prepared than I thought, kid. That's a pretty good mask.” 

Tim breathed out and belatedly realized just how much his shoulders had tensed. He was supposed to keep his shoulders straight and stand up tall but he forgot that all the time. “It works really well. I try to stay away from where Scarecrow might be but he surprises me, sometimes.” 

“Ain't that the truth.” Robin bumped his shoulder against Tim's. “Thank you, by the way. I wasn't even looking for trouble last night. I was just walking around until some of Penguin's guys wanted a firefight. I tried to duck through a shortcut near Robinson Park and some plant splatted all over me. I guess Ivy wasn't expecting to see me because I got away fast. I called in to B and Nightwing and they were probably not happy that I couldn't just stay somewhere and wait for them. Sorry if they gave you any grief.” 

“They didn't,” Tim said immediately. “I was trying to avoid the pollen so that you wouldn't have to bother, though.” 

Robin laughed. “You aren't a bother. You were peacefully sitting on the roof taking pictures, probably, because you're the most polite photographer we ever get.” He bumped Tim's shoulder again at his wide-eyed shock. “You aren't the only person interested, kid, you just never distract us during fights and hardly ever need help.” 

Something in Tim relaxed. He could handle being a tolerable bat-stalker. It made him feel less clingy for following them around every chance he could. “I like photography. I develop my own prints and they're just... it's a hobby, for me. I don't show anyone the pictures.” 

“That's a shame. I'd like to see them sometime but it's probably smart to not carry them around,” Jason said. “Maybe we could invite you back over sometime if the blindfold special isn't too awkward.” 

Tim felt like his ears were ringing and didn't know when he'd started smiling. “Sure, if you want,” he said. “I only save the ones I really like and destroy the rest of the negatives. I have a bunch I do like, though, and could give you my phone number.” 

“I have been so curious but you don't take digital pictures,” Robin said. “I didn't want to just tell you to hand pictures over, it sounded pretty threatening. But maybe later this week?”

Tim was ready to agree before saw Batman's stoic face. He looked like Tim's mom when he had messed up at a party but she had to wait to explain what he had done wrong. Batman definitely didn't want him back in the cave waving around pictures that some weird kid had taken while following his sons around for years. He stood back up and tried to remember when he had started slouching again. 

“I could just give you pictures sometime, too,” Tim said. He could pick out just a few that way. Robin seemed friendly but that didn't mean he wanted Tim for a friend. They might want to see Tim's pictures so they knew where he settled in to photograph them. They might not like them or think it was strange just how many pictures he'd taken. “I've already taken up a lot of your time. I should go home.” 

Tim wasn't sure what he had said wrong now. He could guess why Robin might be disappointed but Batman looked like Tim had messed up even worse. He had no idea why Robin was glaring at Batman except that Batman really didn't want Tim there and hadn't given Robin permission to invite strangers into the cave on a regular basis. 

Batman's stern glower faded to something much more like Bruce Wayne at whatever expression Tim's face had made. “I don't want to get you in trouble with your parents. I do want to make sure that you are safe. If you would rather have someone drop off your clothes another time, that would be fine.” 

“I can just leave. I should get home,” Tim said before Batman permanently withdrew the maybe-invitation. Tim wasn't one to get invited anywhere without his parents, not really, and he could handle pretending that it might happen again. He couldn't handle the questions. If Batman knew... he was on thin ice, Tim knew he was on thin ice, and he would never get out of this without boarding school if Bruce Wayne started looking into his parents' travel plans. Nobody believed Tim was mature enough to not need a full-time babysitter and his parents would never waste their money hiring someone to just sit at home and not do anything useful. Tim would end up at boarding school for sure but if he could just figure out how to explain his parents as benign workaholics maybe Robin would be his friend. Tim wasn't the best liar, though, and definitely couldn't pull off lying to Batman constantly. 

“I can get you home,” Nightwing offered. 

He definitely couldn't let Nightwing look at the pictures first. Tim still had the picture from when he was a toddler meeting Dick Grayson up in his room. His parents thought it was because it was a family picture and sometimes they would say that they would pose for a new picture soon so that it wouldn't be so outdated. Tim was pretty sure that it was only childish until he had Nightwing in his room looking at evidence that Tim was the worst kind of bat-stalker.

“I live one house over, it's not a problem,” he said before his brain could stop his traitorous mouth. 

Robin was standing very still. Batman's expression was heading right back to a glower. Nightwing was the only one who looked like Tim hadn't said anything terrible. 

“Kid. We're a ways from where we picked you up,” Nightwing said with an easy smile. “I would be happy to help get you home and we'd use one of my motorcycles, not the Batmobile. Nobody would see my mask under the helmet anyway. What's your name?” 

Tim's gaze flicked to Batman. Batman still looked very unimpressed. “Alvin Draper.” 

“Timothy Jackson Drake,” Batman said without hesitation. “You might understand why I have questions.” 

Tim slumped forward. Robin stared at him through the unreadable white lenses. Nightwing still looked puzzled. 

“I won't tell anyone,” Tim said quietly. He was an idiot and now he definitely was never going to be invited back. “I promise. I won't say anything. If my parents find out I'm sneaking out, they'll send me to boarding school.” 

Batman crouched down and looked at Tim through the opened lenses of the cowl. “I don't need this mask, do I.” 

“Not really, Mr. Wayne.” 

Bruce peeled the cowl away and magnificently ignored both of his sons' reactions. Tim did his best to ignore Jason cursing and Dick gaping. “Your parents are in Peru, Tim. What is it that you don't want me to see?” 

“That,” he said wearily. “They're going to be out of the country for another couple months. Nobody else knows that. Our housekeeper stops by on weekdays to make food and clean up a bit but she thinks my parents are workaholics. She doesn't know that they're out of the country more often than they're in Bristol. My parents said if I can't handle being independent I have to go to boarding school and the last time they talked about it they had brochures for a military school.” 

“Your parents have been in Peru for three months already, Tim. I wouldn't leave Jason for that long without making sure that an adult was around to help him full-time. I wouldn't want to think of Dick going for months without having someone nearby to call for help any time of the day.” Bruce looked calm. It was a lot easier to look at him than try to guess what Dick's broadly expressive face said about Tim. He didn't dare turn to see what Jason thought about this. 

Jason didn't seem to care about Tim's worries. He wiped a washcloth soaked in something over his mask before peeling the domino away and throwing the plastic squeeze bottle of clear liquid at his brother. Dick squirted the solvent directly onto his face to peel the mask away.

Jason's eyes were very blue and the traces of a scowl were much easier to see without the mask in the way. Tim didn't realize he had braced himself until Jason carefully laid a hand on his shoulder. 

“Tim,” Jason said. “Bruce started it by bringing Dick home from the circus. Dick said he was bringing me home. I don't care if you have parents if they leave you alone for that long. You should stay here and if you don't want to go to boarding school we'll tell them you aren't going. They don't get to abandon you and act like they get to call the shots.” 

Tim wobbled on his feet. Jason grabbed him in a hug and held on tight. “It's okay,” Jason said. “I want you to come over and I really want to see those pictures you've been risking your neck for. I don't care if you want to keep them for yourself, though, you can just come over.” 

“They're my parents, though,” Tim said.

Jason leaned back just enough to look Tim in the eyes. “No. Well, technically, yes, but that's like saying that Sheila Haywood is technically my mom.” 

“But – the Joker?” Tim asked, eyes wide. 

“Exactly,” Jason said. “She gave me a bunch of chromosomes. I visited her in prison one time. That's all she's ever getting from me. Your parents leave you alone for months and act like it's your fault they could get busted for child neglect. You should stay here with us.” 

Tim felt like he should argue. He should protest that they loved him or that they would miss him. But if they wouldn't be home for a couple more months, maybe they wouldn't get an opinion until then. When he didn't say anything, Jason looked smug and waved Dick over.

Dick wrapped his arms around both of them. “I mean, I do have a few questions,” Dick said. “Just a few. Mostly how we got made by a teenager but that is an optional question.” 

Tim looked up and told himself to not be nervous. They would have to hear the truth sometime and it would hurt less if Dick was upset with him now. “I was at Haly's Circus, once, and you promised you'd do your quadruple somersault for me. I saw Robin land one four years ago. It was pretty easy to figure out from there.” 

“Not it!” Jason crowed. 

Dick laughed. “Oops. B always said my showmanship would get us in trouble sometime. This isn't bad trouble, though. Since we know your parents aren't going to be home soon, what do you say to a real breakfast? Alfred was going to go through all the fuss of sending things down here. He'd much rather have you up in the kitchen with us.” 

Dick wasn't mad. Jason wasn't mad. Tim left his camera on the stand and let them hustle him up the stairs. Jason promised a better tour later, after breakfast, and hustled Tim through the house before he could comprehend climbing a staircase and ending up in Wayne Manor and then a large kitchen with an informal dining room attached and a table set for four. 

Mr. Pennyworth smiled at him. “I thought we might wish to have an additional place setting,” he said with clear approval. “Master Jason, I believe that the honors go to you.” 

Jason threw his arm over Tim's shoulders. “Alfie, this is Timothy Drake, but B was calling him Tim – is Tim right?” he asked, pausing just enough time for Tim to nod. “Tim, this is Alfred Pennyworth, and he will never drop the honorific no matter how many times you ask.” 

“That's okay,” Tim said. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Pennyworth.” 

“I insist on Alfred, Master Tim. Master Jason has declared you a part of this family and that is a very powerful claim. Master Dick relied on similar precedence when he brought Master Jason home after a bout with cuddle pollen.” Alfred's eyes were warm when he offered his hand. 

Tim was ready for a handshake. Alfred cupped Tim's hand in both of his, instead, like a strange kind of hug. “Well. If they insist,” Tim agreed shyly. 

Alfred nodded as if Tim had said something much more profound and gently released his hand.

“We do!” Jason hauled Tim over to a seat at the table and diving into the seat next to him. Dick moved quickly enough to steal the chair on Tim's other side that Bruce nearly sat on him. “It's my turn to add someone to the family and cuddle pollen hasn't steered us wrong yet.” 

“However excellent your choices are, we are working with a sample size of two,” Bruce cautioned as he settled into the remaining chair with dignity that didn't match his sly smile. “We'll have to see just who Tim brings home someday.” 

Only Tim thought that Bruce was joking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tim thought Bruce was joking. He went on thinking he was joking even after his breakfast at the Manor turned into a months-long sleepover where Tim spent his nights in the Cave. 
> 
> Bruce listened for an hour straight when Tim explained how he had predicted their patrol routes and then set Tim up with his own login on the main computer so that he could help design the night's route. He stayed in the cave with Alfred during patrols and did his best as a general dispatch and researcher. By the end of the first week, Tim started to brainstorm a more personal pseudonym for the comms, even if he did like the additional cover Agent B gave to Alfred.
> 
> Tim worked through Jason's rigorous lessons in self-defense for weeks before realizing it was Robin training. Dick gave him a mask and a basic set of body armor and took him to meet the Teen Titans and introduced him to everybody as the next Robin. (The current Robin was still putting his new outfit and name together and still refused to be Flamebird.)
> 
> Brucie Wayne met Jack and Janet Drake at a gala the next time they were in town. Brucie's lawyer happened to be a guest at that same gala. By the end of a brief but pointed conversation, they signed papers naming Bruce Wayne as Tim's legal guardian when they were unavailable. Since they were unavailable more often than not, Tim spent most of his time living at Wayne Manor. 
> 
> Tim only realized that Bruce hadn't been joking about Tim choosing the next sibling via cuddle pollen the first time that Tim was the Robin caught in Poison Ivy's cuddle pollen.


End file.
